General Information

ACC Field Hockey Community ConnectionsCurrent and former ACC field hockey athletes meet with local students

Nov. 5, 2011

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Eight current field hockey student-athletes from four different schools and a member of the U.S. national team took part in an ACC Community Connections outreach event Thursday before the start of the 2011 ACC Field Hockey Championship. The nine players met and talked with over 100 kids from William Wirt Middle School for more than an hour before the tournament began.

The players talked with the students about what it means to be a student-athlete in the ACC, introduced the basics of the game of field hockey, and gave advice on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The local middle school students then had a chance to get in small groups and ask questions of the players.

"I think that it is fun to inform kids about the sport, tell them what we do as student-athletes, and hopefully inspire them to become student-athletes as well," said Virginia's Phoebe Willis. "It was fun to let them know about field hockey and let them know what they can do if you believe in yourself."

"It's always so much fun and an honor to get to spread the word about our sport to kids in communities," said former Maryland Terrapin Katie O'Donnell, the 2010 ACC Female Athlete of the Year and a member of the U.S. national field hockey team. "I hope we gave them an idea of what it takes to be an ACC student-athlete and showed them how to get there."

The ACC will donate books to the school to use in their library in a presentation during halftime of Sunday's championship game.

More information on the 2011 ACC Field Hockey Championship can be found online at http://www.theacc.com/championships/11-acc-field-hockey-championship.html.